The 10-Week Half-Marathon Training Guide

Your Half-Marathon Training Plan

Whatever your fitness level, get inspired — and in shape — to run double-digit miles in 10 weeks with our half-marathon plan. We've got all the moves, meals, gear, and motivation you need from start to finish line.

Must-Do Exercises for Runners

Repeat after us: A strong butt equals a happy runner.

"Strengthen your glutes and you'll not only move faster but also cut your chances of injury," says Jordan Metzl, MD, a sports medicine doc at New York City's Hospital for Special Surgery. Do these butt firmers from Andrew Kalley, senior triathlon coach at the Sports Center at Chelsea Piers in New York City, to boost your assets.

Weighted Squat

Target: Butt

— Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding a 5- to 10-pound dumbbell in each hand.

More Exercises for Runners

Nutrition for Runners

You know carbs are crucial, but the question is how to hit the spot without overdoing it. "For the three days pre-race, increase carbs from 55 percent of your diet to 70 percent, and up your calories to 2,900," says Stephanie Middleberg, RD, a sports nutritionist in New York City. For a 140-pound woman, that's 515 grams of carbs a day, as in the sample menu below.

Snack: 2 Fig Newtons and 1/2 cup skim milk

More Recipes for Runners

Energize on the Fly

Your body can typically get by on plain H2O for the first hour of your run, but what then? Middleberg recommends having 100 calories, or about 30 grams of carbohydrate, for every hour you're running beyond that mark.

Fruity-Flavored Energy Boosts

Gatorade Perform O2 in Frost Glacier Freeze

Gu Roctane Pineapple

Honey Stinger Organic Energy Chews in Fruit Smoothie

Balance Bar Lemon Meringue Crunch

Chocolaty Energy Boosts

Clif Shot Energy Gel in Mocha

PowerBar Energy Bites in Chocolate

Luna Bar Nutz Over Chocolate

Running Gear and Motivation

Must-Have Running Gear

Sport these easy pieces to make your race a breeze.

1. The airy, sweat-wicking Craft Cool Mesh Tee has side and back mesh panels. ($45, craft-usa.com)

Motivation to Move It

Steal these stay-psyched strategies from other women who've logged the miles.

Put it in writing. "I have friends write inspirational words on my arms so I can read them when things get tough on the course."

— Katie Sturtevant, 25, Columbia, Maryland

Get racing stripes. "I paint my nails red, like warrior paint!"

— Teresa Przetocki, 28, St. Petersburg, Florida

Recruit an imaginary running partner."To get through the long runs, I dedicate each mile to someone special in my life. I focus on that person for the entire mile, and it inspires me not to let them down."

— Katy Crawshaw Swab, 42, Acworth, Georgia

Talk it out. "I tell myself to run like I stole something, and it gives me a pick-me-up."

— Laurie Hilke, 40, Brunswick, Ohio

Get a Running Buddy

"I ran the MORE/FITNESS half in 2010, but this time I'm doing it to raise money for the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp," says FITNESS sales account director Susan Sagan Levitan.

Make FITNESS fashion assistant Marla Horenbein, 22, your running buddy as she trains for the MORE/FITNESS Women's Half-Marathon. "Short jogs have always been my way to de-stress, but after a recent breakup, I wanted to do something bigger."